# Quickstart

> Go from your invite to a first answer, a certified metric and a shared dashboard: sign in, connect data, ask the agent and invite your team.

Source: https://tini.so/docs/quickstart

This page takes you from your invite to a dashboard your team checks every Monday. Each step builds on the one before, and each links to a page with the details.

## Before you start

- **An invite to an organization.** An organization is your company’s space in Orcabase. When your company joins, we set it up and send you an invite link. Joining a team that already uses Orcabase? Ask one of its admins to [invite you](https://tini.so/docs/workspace/members).
- **A Google account** with the email address the invite was sent to. Orcabase signs you in with Google, so there’s no password to create.
- **Somewhere your data lives:** your app’s Postgres database, a BigQuery project, a Google Sheet or a file. No database at all? Orcabase can [host one for you](https://tini.so/docs/data/hosted).

## 1. Sign in

1. **Open your invite link**

   It looks like `https://app.orcabase.co/invite/…`. Continue with Google, using the account the invite was sent to.

2. **Pick your organization**

   You land on the **Organizations** page. Pick yours to open its **Home** page, where a **Get started** checklist ticks itself off as you work through this page.

## 2. Connect your data

1. **Add a data source**

   On Home, click **Connect a data source**, or go to **Data Sources → New data source**. Pick what you’re connecting to and fill in the details: see [PostgreSQL](https://tini.so/docs/data/postgresql) or [BigQuery](https://tini.so/docs/data/bigquery) for exactly what goes in each field.

2. **Test it**

   Open the new data source and click **Test connection**. **Connected** means Orcabase can read your data.

> **Tip: Use a read-only login**
>
> Orcabase only ever reads your data. Connect it with a database user that can only read, and it can’t change anything even by mistake. The [PostgreSQL page](https://tini.so/docs/data/postgresql#read-only-user) has the SQL to create one.

Data in Google Sheets, MySQL or an app like Stripe? Use [Sync data](https://tini.so/docs/data/sync) instead: it copies the data into your warehouse and keeps it up to date.

## 3. Look around

Open **Explore** in the sidebar and pick your data source. You’ll see its schemas (groups of tables), then its tables, then each table’s columns. **Preview Data** shows real rows, so you can see what’s in there.

Click **Query this table** to start a query from any table, then press ⌘ ↵ (Ctrl Enter on Windows) to run it. See [Explore](https://tini.so/docs/explore).

## 4. Ask the agent

The Data Agent answers questions about your data in plain words. An admin turns it on once, in **Settings → Agent** (see [Set up the agent](https://tini.so/docs/agent/setup)). Then open **Chat** in the header and try:

- “What data do we have, and what does each table hold?”
- “How much revenue did we make last month?”
- “Why did revenue drop last week?”

Every answer leads with what it found, then a chart you can change, then “How I got this”: each step it took, so you can check it. See [Data Agent](https://tini.so/docs/agent).

## 5. Define your first metric

“Revenue” can mean three different things to three people. A **metric** pins it down once, and every chart, teammate and agent uses the same definition.

1. **Draft it**

   Ask the agent: “Model our orders table and draft a revenue metric.” It describes the table as a [data model](https://tini.so/docs/data-models), drafts the metric, and tests it. Prefer to click? In **Explore**, open the table and click **Create data model**, then go to **Metrics → New metric**.

2. **Check it and certify it**

   Open the metric on the **Metrics** page. Its **Explore** tab charts it over time: if the numbers match what you expect, click **Certify**. Certified metrics get a check mark, and the agent reaches for them first.

> **Tip: Start with five**
>
> Revenue, new customers, active customers, churn and average order value cover most weekly questions. See [Metrics](https://tini.so/docs/metrics).

## 6. Build a dashboard

1. **Make the charts**

   Ask the agent: “Put revenue by week and new customers by week on a dashboard called Monday.” It saves each chart as a query and pins them for you. Or build it yourself: **Dashboards → New dashboard**, then **Widgets** to add any saved chart or a text note.

2. **Arrange it**

   Drag a widget by its handle to move it, and drag its corner to resize it. Changes save as you go. See [Dashboards](https://tini.so/docs/dashboards).

3. **Share it (optional)**

   Click **Share** and switch on **Public** for a read-only link anyone can open, no account needed. Good for advisors, partners and clients. See [Share a dashboard](https://tini.so/docs/dashboards/sharing).

## 7. Invite your team

Go to **Settings → Members → Invite member**, enter a teammate’s email and pick a role. Orcabase gives you an invite link to send them: it doesn’t email anyone for you. See [Members and roles](https://tini.so/docs/workspace/members).

## What to read next

- [How Orcabase works](https://tini.so/docs/how-it-works): The architecture, and where your data lives.
- [How metrics work](https://tini.so/docs/semantic-layer): Data models, metrics and why definitions matter.
- [Connect AI](https://tini.so/docs/connect-ai): Ask from Claude or ChatGPT instead.
- [Security](https://tini.so/docs/security): What Orcabase can and can’t do with your data.

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